Peace Talks
by Timballisto
Summary: Besides," she gave him a rare smile. "I doubt you want to be known as Fire Lord Zuko the Imprisioner; you have a very bad track record of throwing your relatives in prison." Mai and Zuko discuss Azula, sculpting, and titles. Maiko and imperceptible Tyzula


Mai found Zuko staring at one of the ornamental statues in the gardens.

"As much as I love nature," Mai said, her voice flat. "I never pegged you as much of a fan."

Zuko turned, half-smiling. The sun caught the crown in his hair at an angle, glinting in the light; Mai would have thought it picturesque if not for the annoying glare.

"I've had enough of the outdoors to last a lifetime." He answered in an equally dry tone. "I don't care what Aang says- rejecting the trappings of civilization is only going to make me more irritable." He cracked his neck audibly as he stretched. "I like beds just fine."

"Yes." Mai agreed. "You do." Mai gracefully ignored the slight coloring in Zuko's cheeks.

The silence stretched on between them comfortably.

"Azula created that, you know." Mai gestured at the statue that dominated the garden, her voice a little more cautious now. Azula could be a sore subject with Zuko, if he was in the right mood.

Zuko looked up, eyebrow raised. The statue, a sculpture really, was of Agni cupping a fire lotus. His face was serene and otherworldly as he stood in the shade of the leechi tree that spread like a canopy over the hot, dry courtyard.

"Did she tell you that?" Zuko asked, skeptical. _Azula always lies._

"No." Mai said, and pointed to the god's hand, where a ring had been carved. Zuko could barely make out the characters- they looked smudged and eroded- but he could see the vague characters of Azula's name.

"She would." Zuko sighed, wondering if it'd be too juvenile to have it taken down now. "Since whenwas Azula interested in the arts?"

Mai shrugged. "She got into it at the Academy- that's about when her fire bending started to turn blue. She'd started to set things on fire accidently- received a few subtly worded threats from Ozai- and turned to sculpting to get rid of some of the excess heat."

"That doesn't sound like Azula."

"No, it really doesn't." Mai agreed. "This is mostly when she was harmless, before Ozai took a real interest in her."

Zuko snorted. "Father always favored Azula. From birth, even."

Mai dipped her head. "As a child, maybe, but let me tell you; Ozai turned her into a monster. When you left, she became his tool."

Zuko scowled; she was coming close to dangerous territory. Being his fiancé afforded a certain amount of candidness, but not disrespect. Mai wisely backed off, and returned to their original topic.

"At Omashu, she had my father prepare 50 blocks of scrap iron- he didn't dare refuse her when she was sitting in his seat, really- and she would mould little figurines whenever we had to stay in the tanks." Mai shrugged. "Azula was almost bearable to be around when she was busy making things."

"Azula doesn't make things." Zuko said. She was usually destroying something- it was her definition of fun. Kicking baby koalabears and conquering Earth Kingdom strongholds were her afternoon leisure activities.

"She had her excuses." Mai rolled her eyes. "It helped with her control, she was bored-" Mai shrugged. "Mostly she did it to keep Ty Lee happy."

"Azula was emotionally invested in the happiness in another person?"

Mai gave him a look. "For all her power, Azula is an emotionally repressed 14 year old with mommy and daddy issues." Zuko twitched at the change of tense. He shifted uncomfortably. He was so used to thinking of Azula as a thing of the past that he sometimes forgot that his sister wasn't dead.

"Father loved her." Zuko repeated slightly petulantly.

Mai snorted. "Zuko, Azula suffered a nervous breakdown and started spitting blue fire after she lost to you." She huffed. "I know _you _know that Azula could've melted those chains into molten slop."

Zuko turned fully to Mai. "Is this a really blunt way of telling me to let my crazy power hungry sister out of prison?"

Mai smirked. "No so crazed anymore. In fact, she's rather 'new and improved'."

"Define."

Mai folded her hands into her sleeves. "Dear Avatar Roku visited her in a dream. He was very clear."

"Avatars don't scare Azula." Zuko reminded her. Was he the only one who remembered that his sister was a sociopath?

"No," Mai agreed. "But you forget, Azula is loyal to the Fire Nation. She'd rather die than become a traitor to her country. Luckily, that includes regicide. No assassination attempts for you."

"You'd trust her word?" Zuko growled.

Mai gave a dry laugh. "About as far as I could throw her. I trust her ambition. She knows if she wants to be anything other than Fire Lord Zuko's crazy sister, she needs to play by the rules. Besides," she gave him a rare smile. "I doubt you want to be known as Fire Lord Zuko the Imprisioner; you have a very bad track record of throwing your relatives in prison."

"I prefer Zuko the Peacemaker."


End file.
